I regularly receive emails from people who have found our guide to Bars and Restaurants, looking for work. These range from people looking for some part time bar work over the summer months, to entire families relocating permanently and looking for a career.

I always advise that most employers here do not consider somebody for a role, until they’ve actually arrived on the Island. There are exceptions to the rule of course, but this is generally the norm.

So what can you do to find work in Lanzarote? First of all, look at your previous experience, and see if it is transferable to a holiday island. You may have provided training and managed motivational classes for 500 staff from a chain of “power tool outlets”, but there really isn’t a call for that here. Instead look at your transferable skills. Maybe there is something there that can help you in a whole new direction.

Many people come out and want to do something completely different. A number of us had very busy, high powered careers back in the UK - and would now like to chill out a bit, and reduce those stress levels. Be warned though… if you thrived under pressure before, you may find that you’ll either actively seek that again - or you’ll get bored.

Do you want to be employed? Or do you want to set up your own business. Do your research, and speak to other people who have made the move. Learn from their experiences.

Both Alan and I choose to work long hours, and put ourselves “through the mill”. It stimulates us, and has enabled us to build a successful business. And hey - it’s all for our future right?

But whereas in the UK, we’d have a draining commute each day, and a slog to line someone else’s pockets - here we can choose our own hours, take a day off if we want to, have our lunch out on the terrace, basically do what we want. A cigarette break back in the UK was spent huddled against a cold damp building, sheltering from the wind and rain. Now it’s outside, in the glorious sunshine… with a stunning volcanic backdrop.

This entry was posted on Friday, March 14th, 2008 at 4:33 pm and is filed under Lanzarote Information & Advice. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.